Between July 5, 2024, when the Labour government took power, and January 31 of this year, 3,930 arrests have been made by immigration enforcement officers.

Across 5,424 visits, migrants illegally working in nail bars, car washes and restaurants have been arrested.

The arrests represent a 38% increase compared to the previous 12-month period.

Officials said they understand people are sold false promises about their ability to live and work in the UK, encouraging them to make dangerous journeys to the country, organised by criminal gangs.

But when they arrive they are forced to work in squalid conditions and work inhumane hours for employers who avoid taxes and undercut competing businesses.

Those arrested made the journey through a mix of routes including by crossing the English Channel and by overstaying their visas, and were discovered in a number of sectors ranging from nail bars to convenience stores.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the Government was boosting enforcement to “record levels”.

She said: “The immigration rules must be respected and enforced. For far too long, employers have been able to take on and exploit illegal migrants and too many people have been able to arrive and work illegally with no enforcement action ever taken”.

“Not only does this create a dangerous draw for people to risk their lives by crossing the Channel in a small boat, but it results in the abuse of vulnerable people, the immigration system and our economy.”

In January 828 visits with 609 arrests were made, a record-high for the month since data started being collected in 2019.

In January 2024 there were 556 visits and 352 arrests.

In Wales and the West of England, the number of arrests in January more than doubled compared with a year earlier, from 45 to 101.

A Government social media campaign discouraging people from making the journey to the UK was launched in Vietnam in December and Albania in January.

The adverts highlight stories from migrants who entered the UK illegally “only to face debt, exploitation and a life far from what they were promised”, the Home Office said.

The drive comes as the Government’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill is set to be debated in the House of Commons in its second reading.

It aims to introduce a raft of new offences and counter terror-style powers to crack down on people smugglers bringing migrants across the English Channel.

The measures are expected to come into force as soon as possible once the legislation is approved by MPs and Lords, believed to be this year.

They mean people selling and handling boat parts suspected of being used in Channel crossings could face up to 14 years in prison, while anyone at sea during the dangerous journeys who endangers another life could face a five-year jail term.

Meanwhile, police and enforcement agencies would be handed powers including to seize and search electronic devices, before an arrest, if they suspect they contain information about organised immigration crime.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously vowed to treat people smugglers as “terrorists” in a bid to curb Channel crossings, but ministers have stopped short of setting a target on reducing the number of arrivals via the smuggler route.

But human rights group Liberty said the bill sets a “dangerous precedent” in bringing in counter-terror-style powers for offences that are not terrorism, while there are insufficient safeguards to protect people from being prosecuted “needlessly”.

The International Rescue Committee UK has welcomed the Government’s commitment to reforming the asylum system but urges for safe routes to the UK to be established for those fleeing conflict and persecution.

IRC advocacy director Denisa Delic added: “Without more safe alternatives for those in need, vulnerable people will continue to be forced into the hands of smugglers and even more dangerous routes as their only option for seeking protection.”

Under the bill, the Safety of Rwanda Act will be scrapped to formally ditch the multi-million-pound deal to send migrants to the east African state, while parts of the Illegal Migration Act will also be repealed.

Ministers are understood to keep measures from the law for operational reasons, including a cap on the number of people arriving under safe and legal routes and time periods migrants can be detained.

Law Society of England and Wales president Richard Atkinson has urged for the bill to go further by repealing all parts of the Illegal Migration Act and for the “detrimental” Nationality and Borders Act to be ditched, while he warned for more resources for immigration legal advice.

“Any new legislation will fail unless there are enough immigration legal aid solicitors available and we urge the government to allocate sufficient resources in accompaniment to the Bill,” he said.

The Conservatives said they had put forward an amendment to the bill in a bid to include their own immigration proposals: to double how long it takes migrants to get indefinite leave to remain and after that, wait five years rather than one before they could apply for citizenship.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “This is a weak bill that won’t stop the boats.

“As the National Crime Agency said, an effective removals deterrent is needed to do that, which Labour have scrapped. Shockingly, the Bill also restores an illegal migrant’s capability to claim indefinite leave to remain.”

A Labour spokesperson said: “Instead of backing Labour’s bill, the Tories have come out with a chaotic mixture of reheated ideas and shoddy policies. They have no credibility – they oversaw soaring small boats crossings and record high net migration.

“This Labour Government has a serious plan to smash the people-smuggling gangs with counter-terror style powers, giving law enforcement the ability to pursue these vile criminals. With removals at a six-year high, Labour are getting on with fixing the mess the Tories left behind.”